VIP announces seven candidates for Council polls, needles BJP amid calls for his resignation

The Vikassheel Insaan Party( VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani, a smaller constituent of the NDA in Bihar, on Sunday announced to contest seven out of the 24 seats in the upcoming Legislative Council polls, scheduled to be held on April 4.

PATNA: The Vikassheel Insaan Party( VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani, a smaller constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, on Sunday announced to contest seven out of the 24 seats in the upcoming Legislative Council polls, scheduled to be held on April 4.

VIP president and Bihar minister Mukesh Sahani visits the atna Saheb Gurdwara on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

Incidentally, the seats where VIP has announced its nominees are mainly constituencies where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put candidates out of 12 seats, where in the party is contesting in alliance with Janata Dal ( United). The seats include Samastipur, Begusarai, Saharsa, Rohtas, Saran, Purnea, and Darbhanga.

“ We will contest seven seats in the Council polls and in 15 seats, we will support the NDA candidates. We have issued the list of candidates as well,” said Dev Jyoti, national spokesperson of the VIP. The counting of votes will take place on April 7.

Evidently, the decision of Sahani, who is the minister of animal husbandry and fisheries in the Bihar government, has brought to fore how the smaller constituent is keen to needle the saffron party, which is said to be peeved with the 40-year-old Bollywood set designer turned politician for making a foray in Uttar Pradesh polls and campaigning hard against the national party and its top leaders.

Recently, BJP legislator Haribhushan Thakur had demanded the resignation of Sahani from the cabinet on moral grounds after his party’s drubbing in the UP polls.

Sources in NDA said Sahani, who had earlier announced to contest all 24 seats in Council polls, has chosen to announce candidates mainly in seats where BJP is contesting with an eye on the upcoming Bochaha assembly by-election. It is said VIP is making all the moves to scuttle attempts of the BJP to stake a claim on the seat, which was won by VIP’s Musafir Paswan in 2020 assembly election. The seat has fallen vacant after Paswan died last year. The by-election in Bochacha seat in Muzaffarpur will be held on April 12. VIP has three MLAs at present, who are crucial in the NDA government having a slender margin in the 243 seat assembly.

Reacting to VIP’s bid to put candidates BJP in Council polls, BJP MLC and senior leader Devesh Kumar said his party was always ready to abide by coalition dharma, but those trying to cross the ‘laxman rekha( border)’ of the coalition would be given a rebuff by the electorate. “ Such things are not good for the coalition. Sahani contested the UP polls and campaigned against us. Those who cross the laxman rekha of the coalition will be rebuffed by the electorate,” Kumar said.

Insiders within the BJP said the party has made up its plan to contest the Bochacha seat by fielding former MLA Baby Kumari and might not heed to VIP’s claim on the seat. “ Bochaha has been a traditional seat of the BJP and it is our natural claim. The seat was given to VIP during seat-sharing in 2020 election. But BJP has better chances of winning the seat,” said a senior BJP leader.

Nikhil Anand, the state spokesperson of the BJP, said a decision on Bochacha seat would be taken by the party’s central leadership.

On the other hand, VIP’s national spokesperson claimed his party would contest the Bochacha seat. “Musafir Paswan was elected from Bochacha on VIP ticket and he had faith in our party chief. It is our natural claim,” Dev Jyoti said.

Nonetheless, VIP’s bid to enter the Council polls has signaled the inner rift in the ruling NDA coalition. There are also speculations the VIP chief having fielded candidates only against BJP nominees in Council polls is trying to gain more proximity with JD(U) and chief minister Nitish Kumar in a bid to secure a second term as MLC in the upper house from the JD(U) quota. Sahani’s term as MLC is set to expire in July this year. “ Sahani, knowing well how he might not get the support of the BJP for another MLC term is now banking on JD(U),” said a senior NDA leader, wishing not to be named.

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday emphasized that his party will perform well in the upcoming Council polls and win a good number of seats.